Empty
by penspot
Summary: The final battle is over and in the aftermath Adrien must come to terms with who Hawkmoth is. Sometimes all betrayal leaves you with is emptiness.


Adrien was numb. That was the only way to explain the lack of emotions he thinks he should have felt. Shock, anger, frustration, disappointment, hate, sorrow... those would have made sense at seeing his father led away by the police. His father, the fashion icon of the western world. His father, the masked mastermind behind the akuma attacks. His father, Hawkmoth.

Now untrasnformed and clad as just plain Adrien, the young model watched from the steps of his home as Gabriel Agreste ducked into the police car without so much as a single glance towards his son. And Adrien felt nothing.

"Adrien." Her voice was soft and hesitant. She was still fully transformed as Ladybug, but he knew that her transformation wouldn't last for long.

"You should probably go find someplace to change," he said quietly, cutting her off from questioning him further. The car drove off leaving a detective and a few few officers left to canvas the area. One officer came up, hat in hand with an apologetic look. It was Officer Roger, Sabrina's dad.

"Mr. Agreste, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me to the station while we sort all of this out."

Adrien nodded, but was stopped by Ladybug before he could follow. Her miraculous made a warning beep.

"Officer, hasn't he gone through enough?" She pleaded.

Roger rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Listen, Ladybug. The French Police have left all of this strange akuma business to you and your partner. But this is worse than we could have imagined and Mr. Agreste here is still a minor. For his sake and safety, I need to bring him with me."

Ladybug looked like she wanted to argue, but Adrien pulled free from her hand and did his best to give her an encouraging look. "I'll be alright."

She bit her lower lip, her frustration and worry readable even beneath the mask. Adrien couldn't help but smirk dryly at the irony. Hawkmoth, the villain who had stopped at nothing trying to capture their Miraculous was his own father, and Ladybug was more distraught over it than he was. Leaving her alone with the Agreste mansion in a shambles, Adrien made his way to another police car and slipped into the front seat without looking back- much like his own father had done. His stomach twisted.

The station was a chaotic wreck with everyone on deck. Phones rang off the hook and the door was blocked by a herd of news reporters. Adrien sat in a chair by the wall, watching the hysterical scene and thinking about what he was going to do. The Agreste assets would more than likely be frozen and he may not be able to live at the mansion anymore. His father really was the only family he had that he knew about. Would he be exiled to the foster system? He would be turning 18 in a month, so his stay in foster care would be brief.

"Adrien!" He turned and saw Marinette standing a little ways a way with Sabrina. She rushed over and planted a kiss to his forehead before glaring into his eyes. "I heard about what happened and came as fast as I could."

Adrien gaped at his girlfriend in surprise. Not that he wasn't grateful but-

"How did you get passed the mob?" he asked, nodding towards the front door alight with camera flashes.

Marinette glanced over at Sabrina. "Sabrina was able to get me in a different way." She thanked her contact and let her go find her father. Marinette's attention turned back to Adrien.

"What are we going to do now?" She asked. It wasn't quite what he expected her to ask. Perhaps "are you okay?" or "how are you doing?" to which he would have replied with vague white lies so as not to worry his partner or maybe even a bit of snark in a veiled attempt to avoid the subject. But that wasn't what she asked. She was smart and empathetic. Any human's natural reaction would have been shock and hurt so there was no point in dwelling on that. Her question showed that she knew the situation at hand and it demanded action. It was so much like Ladybug.

He sighed and leaned back, fingers intertwined with hers. "I don't know. The worst I can think of is my father going to prison and me bouncing between foster families until I'm old enough to be on my own."

"Don't you have any family to stay with?"

"Not that I know of. Father didn't contact his side of the family and we've kind of been estranged from Mother's side since her death, though I have a pretty strong feeling that was more Father's idea than anyone else's."

They were quiet for a few moments, basking in each other's presence. Shock was beginning to wear off leaving a grimy residue of darker emotions. The hurt stung worse than he had possibly imagined. The betrayal wracked his body, leaving him breathless. Suddenly his face was in his hands, bent over in a silent sob.

"Why?" He hissed quietly, hot tears leaking out the corners of his eyes. "Why was it him? Of all people, my own father!"

Marinette's heart broke for her love and her frustration grew at her own helplessness. How she wished she could help burden his pain; his anger. Yet all she could do was sit next to him rubbing soothing circles in his back as the man she fell for so many years ago broke.

What was once nothing was now a torrent of heat and madness. Adrien half wished for the stillness of shock to come back and give him peace, but now his thoughts were alit with every akuma they had faced. The realization that his own flesh and blood had sent them after him and his lady. He may not have known, but then he might just as well have. Did he know his son was Chat Noir? Did he care? Or was retrieving the Miraculous more precious than his own son. It wouldn't have been the first time his father had prioritized something else above Adrien. In their final battle when Hawkmoth had been defeated, his kwami taken captive by Plagg and Tikki, there had been no time for his father to see him lose his transformation. Chat Noir had ran and Adrien had come back.

"Do you think he knew?" Adrien mumbled.

"That we are Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Marinette clarified to which he nodded. She sighed and wrapped her ar,s around his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Do you think he knew what he was doing?" The disbelief asked. "I mean, the other akuma's didn't know and all of their damage was forgiven."

"Do you want the truth?"

Adrien thought about it for a moment. Did he really want to know if his Father had motives? If he truly understood the consequences of his actions? Part of him hoped he was like any other dark akuma, a victim. But he knew the truth.

"He had a kwami. He was like us. He knew what he was doing." Adrien's heart broke as he admitted it. Shame washed away the hurt and the anger started to seed something darker: bitterness. The heat gave way to cold steel. An unforgiving resolve. His hand tightened around Marinette's.

"He isn't going to get away with this. Any of it. I'll make sure of that."

Marinette's brow furrowed with concern. She didn't like the edge Adrien's voice had taken. "Adrien please, I know he's done so many horrible things, but he is your father."

"So I'm supposed to feel some kind of sympathy for him?" He shot back. "What am I supposed to feel for the man who hunted us for years? The man who was willing to manipulate and control and kill to get our miraculous. The man who would have kept me sequestered in his own little world if I hadn't fought tooth and claw to get out. What am I supposed to feel about him?"

She wasn't able to answer, but before she could even try Adrien was ranting again. "Why should I care for him? He's never shown any consideration for me! My opinions were meaningless to him! What I felt was never important. Well now he can see what it's like! To be locked away and considered unimportant! He made his choice and now he's going to have to live with it!"

Adrien jumped up and started pacing, his fists clenched and his eyes furious. Marinette could imagine him as Chat Noir with his tail swishing back and forth.

"Adrien, I understand-"

"No, Marinette. You really don't. You have two loving parents. Your parents aren't evil!"

Marinette bit her lip. How could she argue when he was right? His father was evil, his intentions dark. But the hatred and darkness that such a revelation was churning in Adrien wasn't right either. She knew what they had to do. They needed to forgive and carry on. But how could she tell Adrien that? Was it even her place to tell him such a thing?

The young hero did the only thing she thought she could. Standing up, she wrapped her arms around her love and held him close. Adrien's pacing ceased and he melted into the hug.

"I hate seeing you like this," she whispered, on the verge of tears. "Please, tell me what I can do."

Adrien sighed into her shoulder, breathing in the light smell of bread and vanilla that was woven into her clothes. "You're doing it. I don't know what I would do if I had to deal with this alone," he whispered back. Some of the darkness lifted from his mind in the wake of her hug. Perhaps it was a Ladybug ability to make everyone around her feel at ease or maybe it was just Marinette, but she was the only thing holding Adrien up above the miry pit of despair. When he let go, he could feel his spirits sink slightly. Cold steel had softened to cool indifference toward his father.

Hands still clasped and eyes focused on the other, Adrien almost didn't hear someone's throat clear. He turned and saw a blonde with steely eyes and an air of intimidating confidence. She wore thin glasses on the bridge of her nose and was dressed neatly in a black dress suit.

"Mr. Agreste? Nathalie called me. I'm Moira Dubois, head of your father's legal team."

"Oh."

"I have cleared it with the police and I will be taking you home until other preparations can be made. If you will follow me," she beckoned to the door.

Adrien groaned internally and replied, "I'll be right there." He looked back at Marinette and planted a kiss on her cheek, caressing it with his hand. "I love you."

"Silly kitty," she smiled sadly, kissing his palm. "I will check on you first thing in the morning."

"I'll be looking forward to it, my lady."

With one more kiss to her forehead, Adrien turned to follow the lawyer out of the department and into the raging swarm of news people.

"I love you, Adrien," Marinette called after him. He turned back slightly and gave a fleeting smile before walking through the door under the protection of his driver. Madame Dubois stoically informed everyone that Adrien wasn't giving any comments at this time. Adrien followed her with a schooled expression, not willing to give anything away to be misconstrued by some tabloid. His anger had dissolved. His fury subsided and his resolve to stay bitter faded into nothingness. Like his house, he was empty, and that's all he could manage for now.


End file.
